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Mbappé Faces Haaland in Champions League Appetizer for World Cup. Troubled Liverpool Goes to Inter

Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappe poses with the trophy after scoring four goal during the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Olympiacos and Real Madrid, in in Piraeus port, near Athens, Greece, Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappe poses with the trophy after scoring four goal during the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Olympiacos and Real Madrid, in in Piraeus port, near Athens, Greece, Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
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Mbappé Faces Haaland in Champions League Appetizer for World Cup. Troubled Liverpool Goes to Inter

Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappe poses with the trophy after scoring four goal during the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Olympiacos and Real Madrid, in in Piraeus port, near Athens, Greece, Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappe poses with the trophy after scoring four goal during the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Olympiacos and Real Madrid, in in Piraeus port, near Athens, Greece, Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

A Champions League clash between Kylian Mbappé and Erling Haaland will surely happen in the final one day.

On Wednesday, it is a routine league-phase game when Real Madrid hosts Manchester City and the most feared forwards in soccer cross paths for the third time in the competition since Haaland debuted in 2019.

Also this week, Liverpool brings its season of turmoil to San Siro against Inter Milan on Tuesday, when Bayern Munich hosts Sporting Lisbon. Paris Saint-Germain is at Athletic Bilbao on Wednesday, The AP news reported.

In the sixth of the eight rounds, league-leading Arsenal can become the first team to reach the 16-point total that last season ensured advancing direct to the round of 16, The AP news reported.

Arsenal is the only team with five straight wins on 15 points and needs to avoid defeat Tuesday at Club Brugge to reach the potential cutoff between eighth and ninth place in January.

Mbappé vs. Haaland Tuesday at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium likely won’t be the last time they meet this season.

France will play Norway on June 26 at the New England Patriots’ stadium in Foxborough, Mass., in one of the most anticipated games from the World Cup draw made Friday.

There might also be more in the Champions League given that Real Madrid and Manchester City met in the knockout rounds in each of the past four seasons. They combined to win three titles in that time though Mbappé still seeks his first.

Mbappé vs. Haaland first happened in the round of 16 in February 2020. Newly arrived at Borussia Dortmund, Haaland scored two in the first leg against Paris Saint-Germain and revealed his “Zen” goal celebration, sitting down cross-legged as if meditating. Mbappé and PSG won in Paris to advance 3-2 on aggregate score.

Last season, in the knockout playoffs in February, Mbappé scored four times including a hat trick in the second leg as Madrid beat Man City in both games, despite Haaland’s two goals in the first leg.

Mbappé’s four goals at Olympiakos last month lifted him to be top scorer in the Champions League this season. He needs one more to reach 10 in a Champions League season for the first time during his decade in the competition.

Haaland has five so far, and already got into double figures in three Champions League campaigns.

Madrid starts the week in fifth place on 12 points, two ahead of City in ninth in the 36-team standings.

Equally prolific Kane Harry Kane is just as prolific for Bayern Munich this season. He has scored 28 in just 22 games for Bayern plus five in five World Cup qualifiers for England.

Kane has kept pace with Haaland’s goal-a-game ratio in the Champions League and kept Bayern third in the standings, despite losing at Arsenal two weeks ago.

Ahead of Kane and Haaland is six-goal Victor Osimhen, who is fit to return with Galatasaray at Monaco on Tuesday. Both teams are in contention for a top-24 finish and places in the knockout stage starting in February.

Frankfurt fans return Barcelona hosting Eintracht Frankfurt is a repeat of a remarkable show of force by visiting fans four seasons ago — and one the Spanish club has now worked to avoid.

Eintracht’s road to winning the Europa League in 2022 included what looked and sounded like a home game to win 3-2 at Camp Nou in the second leg of the quarterfinals.

About 30,000 German fans were there after most bought tickets from Barcelona fans, who last week were warned by their club not to do that again.

“If the traceability of ticket purchases and their final destination reveals fraudulent behavior, the case will be referred to the disciplinary committee,” Barcelona said last week in a statement.

Barcelona is certainly favored to win this time. The La Liga leader scored five in winning at the weekend while Eintracht was routed 6-0 at Leipzig.

Winter is coming It will be an unusually early Champions League kickoff at 4:30 p.m. Central Europe Time when Kairat Almaty hosts Olympiakos on Tuesday. That is 8:30 p.m. in eastern Kazakhstan where evening temperatures can plummet in December.

UEFA planned well to schedule the game Tuesday instead of Wednesday. Forecast temperature at kickoff is about 0 Celsius (32 Fahrenheit) while it should be -12 C (10 F) at the same time one day later.

Bodo/Glimt’s European season continues at Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday after its domestic season finished in Norway being edged for the title by Viking. The Norwegian league avoids the bitter winter and Glimt has two more Champions League games in January, and maybe more in the knockout phase, during the Norwegian offseason.

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Italy’s Winter Olympics Dream: A Record 22nd Medal Seals Its Best-Ever Games

Silver medalists Italy's Michela Moioli and Lorenzo Sommariva hold an Italian flag as they celebrate after the mixed team snowboard cross finals at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Livigno, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026. (AP)
Silver medalists Italy's Michela Moioli and Lorenzo Sommariva hold an Italian flag as they celebrate after the mixed team snowboard cross finals at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Livigno, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026. (AP)
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Italy’s Winter Olympics Dream: A Record 22nd Medal Seals Its Best-Ever Games

Silver medalists Italy's Michela Moioli and Lorenzo Sommariva hold an Italian flag as they celebrate after the mixed team snowboard cross finals at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Livigno, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026. (AP)
Silver medalists Italy's Michela Moioli and Lorenzo Sommariva hold an Italian flag as they celebrate after the mixed team snowboard cross finals at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Livigno, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026. (AP)

Now it’s official: host nation Italy is having its best ever Winter Olympics.

Italy picked up four medals in quick succession on Sunday — two golds, a silver and a bronze — to take its current total to 22 and surpass its previous best medal haul of 20, set more than 30 years ago, at the Lillehammer Games in 1994.

And there are still seven days left of competition.

Italy's cross-country team set Sunday off with bronze in the men's 4 x 7.5-kilometer relay before Federica Brignone won an incredible second gold medal at her home Games with victory in the giant slalom, barely a month after returning to racing following a horrific injury last year.

Less than an hour later, Michela Moioli and Lorenzo Sommariva finished second in the mixed team snowboard cross to pick up Italy’s 21st medal at the Milan Cortina Games and break its previous mark.

And shortly after that, Lisa Vittozzi won gold in the 10-kilometer pursuit biathlon race.

The total is more than the target of 19 medals set by Italian Olympic Committee president Luciano Buonfiglio before the Games began.

The breakdown so far? Eight gold medals, four silver and 10 bronze.

In Lillehammer, Italy finished fourth in the final medal table — behind Russia, host nation Norway and Germany. At Milan Cortina, the Azzurri have consistently been in the top two.

At the last Winter Olympics, in Beijing, Italy won 17 medals. It fared worse the last time it hosted the Games, collecting 11 in Turin in 2006.

The signs that Italy could do something special at its home games were there right from Day 3, when the Azzurri had a record-breaking day on home snow and ice with a haul of six medals, the most the nation had ever won in a single day at the Winter Olympics.

“What an incredible day: six medals in 24 hours at the Winter Olympics will go down in history,” local organizing committee president Giovanni Malagò said. “And what’s also incredible is the multidisciplinary nature of the medals, we have become a country that is capable of being competitive in sports where we have never been.

“That is fundamental in the Olympic program and in the final medal table ... I have always been of the opinion that the strength of a country can be seen in how many medals in different sports you manage to earn, not necessarily the number of golds.”

The stories behind some of the medals have added to the feel-good moment sweeping the country.

The 35-year-old Brignone skied through the pain to win gold in the women’s super-G on Thursday, following a year spent largely in rehab after breaking multiple bones in her leg.

Arianna Fontana, the most decorated short track speedskater of all time, won her 12th and 13th medals, equaling fencer Edoardo Mangiarotti’s record for most Olympic medals by an Italian athlete — a mark that has stood since 1960.

“We’re getting to see the Italian team do incredibly well ... I’ve been very fortunate to have gotten to witness Federica’s and Arianna’s golds, which were just incredible,” International Olympic Committee President Kirsty Coventry said on Friday. “Their stories of resilience and fight and everything good in humanity was really showcased.

“Both athletes I have so much respect for ... Arianna is now the most decorated Italian athlete, summer or winter Olympian. And to do that at home, it’s so cool. I’m so excited for her. And you could feel in the stadium yesterday, last night, just the passion and the love and the respect.”

Sports

Leeds Survive Birmingham Scare to Reach FA Cup Fifth Round

Soccer Football - FA Cup - Fourth Round - Birmingham City v Leeds United - St Andrew's Knighthead Park, Birmingham, Britain - February 15, 2026 Leeds United's Sean Longstaff scores a penalty during the penalty shootout. (Reuters)
Soccer Football - FA Cup - Fourth Round - Birmingham City v Leeds United - St Andrew's Knighthead Park, Birmingham, Britain - February 15, 2026 Leeds United's Sean Longstaff scores a penalty during the penalty shootout. (Reuters)
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Leeds Survive Birmingham Scare to Reach FA Cup Fifth Round

Soccer Football - FA Cup - Fourth Round - Birmingham City v Leeds United - St Andrew's Knighthead Park, Birmingham, Britain - February 15, 2026 Leeds United's Sean Longstaff scores a penalty during the penalty shootout. (Reuters)
Soccer Football - FA Cup - Fourth Round - Birmingham City v Leeds United - St Andrew's Knighthead Park, Birmingham, Britain - February 15, 2026 Leeds United's Sean Longstaff scores a penalty during the penalty shootout. (Reuters)

Leeds survived an FA Cup scare to reach the fifth round with a penalty shoot-out victory against second-tier Birmingham on Sunday.

Birmingham substitute Patrick Roberts snatched an 89th-minute equalizer at St Andrew's to cancel out Lukas Nmecha's 49th-minute opener for Leeds.

With a feisty fourth round tie level at 1-1 after extra time, Leeds won the shoot-out 4-2.

Joel Piroe, Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Brenden Aaronson and Sean Longstaff all converted their penalties for Daniel Farke's team.

Tommy Doyle's effort was saved by Leeds goalkeeper Lucas Perri before Roberts fired over the crossbar.

Battling to avoid relegation from the Premier League, Leeds are one win away from reaching the quarter-finals for the first time since 2002-03.

Wolves also avoided an upset as they won 1-0 at fourth-division Grimsby.

Grimsby stunned Manchester United in the League Cup earlier this season.

But Wolves avoided similar embarrassment thanks to Santiago Bueno's 60th-minute goal from the visitors' first shot on target on a mud-caked pitch at Blundell Park.

Grimsby didn't manage to force Wolves 'keeper Sam Johnstone into a save until Andy Cook's header in the 90th minute.

It was Wolves' first away win since beating Manchester United in April.

Mired in a miserable season that has left them bottom of the Premier League and almost certain to be relegated, Rob Edwards' side can still salvage some pride in the FA Cup.

Sports

Bayern’s Neuer Sidelined with Calf Injury

Manuel Neuer of Munich reacts ahead of the German Bundesliga soccer match between Werder Bremen and Bayern Munich 05 in Dortmund, Germany, 14 February 2026. (EPA)
Manuel Neuer of Munich reacts ahead of the German Bundesliga soccer match between Werder Bremen and Bayern Munich 05 in Dortmund, Germany, 14 February 2026. (EPA)
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Bayern’s Neuer Sidelined with Calf Injury

Manuel Neuer of Munich reacts ahead of the German Bundesliga soccer match between Werder Bremen and Bayern Munich 05 in Dortmund, Germany, 14 February 2026. (EPA)
Manuel Neuer of Munich reacts ahead of the German Bundesliga soccer match between Werder Bremen and Bayern Munich 05 in Dortmund, Germany, 14 February 2026. (EPA)

Bayern Munich goalkeeper Manuel Neuer is set for a spell on the sidelines after tearing his calf muscle, the Bundesliga club announced on Sunday.

Neuer, 39, was subbed off at half-time in Saturday's 3-0 win at Werder Bremen which helped Bayern restore their six-point lead over Borussia Dortmund atop the Bundesliga table.

Bayern sporting director Max Eberl initially said Neuer's substitution was a "precautionary measure" and the injury was "nothing dramatic".

A scan on Sunday, however, showed the tear was more serious than initially expected.

"Bayern Munich will have to do without Manuel Neuer for the time being," the league leaders said in a statement without indicating how long their captain would be out.

German media reported Neuer was in doubt for Bayern's trip to Dortmund at the end of February and would miss next Saturday's clash with Eintracht Frankfurt.

The veteran goalkeeper turns 40 in March and has been plagued by calf problems recently, missing 10 matches last season with a similar injury.

Bayern were 11 points clear in the German league at Christmas but Dortmund have drawn six points behind the leaders after a six-match winning run.